Melinda Pillsbury-Foster and Craig Franklin were married twice. The first time on June 21, 1987 in a private ceremony. The second time two years later.

In 1989 Craig Franklin demanded he be allowed to adopt the children of Melinda Pillsbury-Foster as his own, natural children. To that end, he negotiated with their birth father, Pillsbury-Foster's former husband, Ronald Edward Foster (AKA Kellett) now of Seal Beach, California, agreeing to release him from any and all obligation to support the children as he was assuming this obligation himself. Foster signed a notarized document written by Franklin. Franklin named the children as his natural children and heirs in a will signed immediately afterward.

The children had been living with Franklin and their mother for a number of years at this time.

In 1998 Franklin let his attorney, Jacqueline Misho, the same attorney who would later represent the wife of John Cleese, into the family home in Santa Barbara and allowed her to go through Pillsbury-Foster's papers, illegally removing many of these. Included in these was the updated will which had removed the name of Franklin's brother Sterling as being owed a debt, since this had been paid. No other changes were made.

Misho then conspired to lie to the court, telling them Franklin had not, in fact, adopted the five children of Pillsbury-Foster.